The general purpose of the study was to build a model of the processes of constructing conceptual knowledge during mathematical problem solving, focusing on the internal activities and meanings students give to problems while in the process of problem solving on the computer. Specifically, it proposed a model of the roles played by abstraction and anticipation in the problem-solving process, and investigates other factors that may affect problem-solving performance in a Logo computer microworld. Questions investigated include: (1) What types of experiences occur prior to students constructing abstractions of an experience and moving towards anticipation? (2) How does the cognitive style of field independence influence students abstractions and anticipations? / The explanation of the role played by abstraction and anticipation in mathematical problem solving is guided by the constructivist perspective that learning is an internal activity where learners must actively, through experiences and investigations, construct their own knowledge. In the process of constructing knowledge, learners advance through increasingly higher levels of abstraction in order to internalize processes and structures. / The subjects for the Logo problem-solving interviews come from the eighth grade class of a small private school. All were given the Group Embedded Figures Test to measure their degree of field independence, and were given instruction in basic Logo programming. The format of the assigned tasks provided an opportunity to observe different ways that solvers construct and utilize conceptual knowledge during problem solving. A detailed case study was prepared for each student by analyzing the verbal and video protocols. Different abstract levels of solution activity were inferred from the solvers actions. / The results generally indicated a direct relationship between degree of field-independence/dependence and success with problem solving for those students with extreme measures of these cognitive qualities. Also noted was a relationship between the amount and quality of reflection and abstraction with problem solving. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-01, Section: A, page: 0058. / Major Professor: Janice L. Flake. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_77085 |
| Contributors | Follett, Scott C., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 263 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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